What type of maintenance is performed on equipment before failures occur?

• A. Corrective maintenance
• B. Preventive maintenance
• C. Emergency maintenance
• D. Predictive maintenance

Answer: (B)

Preventive maintenance is performed on equipment before failures occur to ensure that systems remain operational and to extend their operational life. This type of maintenance involves regularly scheduled inspections, adjustments, and repairs that are conducted based on established intervals or usage benchmarks. The primary goal is to identify and address potential issues before they lead to equipment malfunction or breakdown, which helps in maintaining reliability and efficiency.

This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of unexpected failures and minimizes downtime, ultimately saving costs associated with emergency repairs and lost productivity. Preventive maintenance strategies can include tasks like lubrication, cleaning, parts replacement, and calibration, which are all designed to keep equipment running smoothly.

Other types of maintenance, such as corrective, emergency, and predictive, do not focus on preventative measures. Corrective maintenance addresses issues only after they arise, while emergency maintenance is performed in response to urgent failures. Predictive maintenance relies on data and real-time monitoring to estimate when maintenance should occur, but it does not systematically prevent failures like preventive maintenance does.